The 34th Royal Sikh Pioneers was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1857, when they were raised as the Punjab Sappers. The regiment recruited the Mazhabi Sikhs and

Ramdasia The Ramdasia were historically a Sikh Hindu sub-group that originated from the caste of leather tanners and shoemakers known as Chamar Terminology Ramdasia is a term used in general for Sikhs whose ancestors belonged to Chamar caste. Origina ...

Sikhs of Punjab province. Despite being Pioneers by name, the regiment was specially trained as Assault Pioneers.

Brief History

The regiment took part in the

Siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass up ...

, the Siege of Lucknow and the Capture of Lucknow during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. They were next in action during the

Second Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the ...

in 1878 and the Relief of Chitral in 1897. To honour the visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Indian they took part in the

Rawalpindi Parade 1905 The Rawalpindi Parade 1905 was a parade by the British Indian Army held in Rawalpindi, India on 8 December 1905 to honour the Prince and Princess of Wales. The troops were under the Command of Horatio Herbert, Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum, G.C.B. ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

they were part of the

3rd (Lahore) Division The 3rd (Lahore) Division was an infantry division of the British Indian Army, first organised in 1852. It saw service during World War I as part of the Indian Corps in France before being moved to the Middle East where it fought against troops ...

and served on the Western Front, in the Mesopotamia Campaign and in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments.Sumner p.15 In 1922, the 34th Sikh Pioneers now became the 2nd Battalion,

3rd Sikh Pioneers The 3rd Sikh Pioneers was a regiment of the British Indian Army formed in 1922, when the Indian army moved from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. The 3rd Sikh Pioneers were one of four Pioneer units in the 1922 reorganisatio ...

. The regiment was allocated to the new

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

on independence.

Notable Achievements

* They were the most highly decorated Sikh Regiment of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. * They became a "Royal" Regiment in 1921.

Predecessor names

*Punjab Sappers - 1857 *24th (Pioneer) Regiment of Punjab Infantry - 1858 *32nd Bengal Native Infantry - 1861 *32nd (Punjab) Bengal Native Infantry (Pioneers) - 1864 *32nd (Punjab) Bengal Infantry (Pioneers) - 1885 *32nd Punjab Pioneers - 1901 *34th Sikh Pioneers - 1903

References

* * British Indian Army infantry regiments Military units and formations established in 1857 Military units and formations disestablished in 1922 Bengal Presidency 1857 establishments in India {{India-mil-stub